Tricks of the Trade
by Ennuit
Summary: Puck knew there were risks to asking Loki to help with Alexander Xanatos's plan to become a "self-made man," but the letter had been very specific that Loki was necessary and who was he to argue with his future self? - "You want me to risk my freedom on some worthless trinket?" "To Mr. Stark, it is indeed worthless, but not to us." [Knowledge of Gargoyles not necessary to enjoy]
1. Invitation

"Is he there?"

The red-headed teenager quickly peeked around the corner and stole a look at Loki sitting at the library table browsing through a stack of books. Alexander Xanatos had been shadowing Loki for some time, and the public library was one of the few places Loki had ventured to outside of Stark Tower during his Avenger-supervised parole.

"Yep, he's there," said the teen, who took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"No need to be nervous, Alex. It's not like your future rides on his answer or anything," said a disembodied voice from beside the boy.

"Be quiet, Puck," the boy grumbled.

"Just try to imagine you're a cocky all-powerful demigod," Puck's voice recommended cheerfully, "So basically just act like you normally do."

"Shut up and let me concentrate," Alex said, rolling his head from side to side like a boxer loosening his muscles before a match, "You've got the easy part. All you have to do is stand there being invisible."

"Make sure to remember the shoes this time," Puck's voice added.

Alex's body slowly began to expand. His meager frame morphed into a muscular build. His sharp youthful features transformed into a strong masculine face. His shaggy red hair became long blond locks. Soon, an exact duplicate of Thor in a simple T-shirt and jeans stood where Alex had been moments before.

"Perfect. Break a leg, kid," said Puck's voice.

Thor's form nodded and rounded the corner towards Loki.

As Thor approached, Loki put down his book and looked up in annoyance. "I know you and your friends are tracking me," Loki said in a hushed voice, "but you could at least have the courtesy not to approach me in public. I'm trying to keep a low profile, you know? And you don't exactly blend in, even in those stupid Midgardian clothes."

"I've been invited to a party," Thor announced.

Loki sighed, "And this concerns me how?"

"I want you to go with me."

"You can't be serious..."

"It would do you good to get out and socialize, brother."

Loki glanced around as curious eyes were already starting to turn their way. "Fine, fine," he hissed, "Just promise never to visit me here again."

"Cool," Thor answered, "It's tonight at 8. You'll need a suit and tie."

Loki looked questioningly at Thor and echoed, "Cool?"

Thor suddenly looked embarrassed, "Ah, I meant 'good.' Just trying to blend in."

"Well, you can blend in better by going away," Loki spat.

"Right," Thor said quickly, "See you tonight." And with that, Thor rushed away, almost knocking over an empty chair on his way to the exit.

Flustered, Loki sank into his chair and attempted to hide behind the book he was reading.

Once he was out of sight around the corner, Thor heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and his impressive physique melted away revealing Alex's lean form.

"That was close," said Puck's snide voice.

"Shit, I know," Alex said to his invisible companion, running a hand through his hair, "But we're set now. He's coming."

"Leave it to you to almost screw up the inevitable," Puck's voice continued.

"Hey," Alex grinned, "I always get what I want."

Puck sighed and whispered to himself, "Just like your father..."

* * *

><p>Loki shifted uncomfortably in his suit, absentmindedly adjusting his tie, "I can't believe you convinced me to attend this abhorrent event."<p>

Thor examined the array of buttons in the elevator and pressed the one at the top for the floor marked "Castle," then looked sideways at Loki. "You were the one who begged to come, brother. Something about needing to get out of your 'prison' at Stark Tower."

"What are you talking about? I didn't-"

But he was interrupted as the elevator doors opened to reveal an already tipsy Tony Stark who turned around smiling and yelled a greeting to them. Tony put his arm around Thor's shoulder and led them into the crowd. "This is crazy, huh? Who the hell puts an actual castle on top of their skyscraper? This David Xanatos guy is worse than me. And all this for his son's 18th birthday?!"

Loki sighed and looked out into the huge room that had once been the banquet hall of a medieval castle, now filled with a sea of suits and evening dresses milling around a cocktail party, already regretting his decision to attend. He made a meager attempt to socialize along with Thor, but soon got sick of it all and left Thor's side for the bar, the one place he assumed he could be on his own without attracting much attention.

As if on cue, the moment he sat down, he was approached by a smartly dressed man with short blond hair and large wire-frame glasses. The man stood stiffly with his left hand buried in the pocket of his suit jacket.

"Enjoying the party?" the man offered dryly. With his solemn countenance, he might as well have been asking about a funeral instead of a party.

Loki repressed a groan, "It's hard to enjoy when your reputation precedes you."

"The name is Owen Burnett," the man said, offering his right hand to shake, his face remaining expressionless.

Loki hesitated a moment, but took the offered hand, "Loki. But I assume you knew that already."

"As you said, your reputation precedes you."

"Well, I have to give you credit for being the first person I've been introduced to in this loathsome realm who hasn't looked at me with either revulsion or terror."

"Give it a few months and they won't even remember your name," Owen said, sliding onto the bar stool next to Loki.

Loki found himself strangely insulted by this statement.

As if reading his mind, the blond man continued, "Don't take it the wrong way. It has nothing to do with you. They wouldn't even remember months later if giant bat-winged creatures were found living in their city."

Loki just stared at him for a moment. Owen looked away and adjusted his tie anxiously with his right hand while his other hand remained firmly in his jacket pocket.

"Am I making you nervous?" Loki smirked.

"On the contrary," Owen cleared his throat, "Let's just say it's been a long time since I've met a kindred spirit."

Loki could have laughed out loud, "Kindred spirit?" Then, he raised an eyebrow, "Wait, you're not a 'fan,' are you?" He had already had an unfortunate encounter with a group of crazed women trying to kneel and propose to him on the street.

"No," Owen stated bluntly, although for some reason he avoided Loki's gaze. "However, I must admit that my motives in speaking with you are not entirely personal."

For some reason, Loki was not surprised.

"I have a business proposition-"

"I'm not interested," Loki turned away abruptly.

Owen grabbed hold of Loki's wrist to stop him from leaving his seat and lifted it between them. "In return, I can do something about these." He tapped his finger on the metal bracelet Loki wore before letting go of his wrist. The magic-suppressing bracelets were part of the deal Loki made with SHIELD that allowed him relative freedom while living in New York.

Loki quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching them before turning back to Owen. He was undeniably interested, almost licking his lips with excitement. The offer was way too good to be true, but nonetheless worth further investigation_._ "What is this proposition?"

"You're currently living in Stark Tower, correct?"

Loki nodded carefully, but he didn't like where this was going.

"My employer would like assistance in procuring a certain object from your residence."

Loki's eyes narrowed, "And who is your employer?"

"Mr. Alexander Xanatos."

Loki snorted, "The child being celebrated by this absurd event?"

"Indeed."

"And who are you? His baby-sitter?"

"No, I'm his personal tutor and bodyguard."

Loki laughed out loud, "Bodyguard? You?"

"One could hardly compare your physique to that of your brother, but I do not presume to underestimate you."

Loki raised an eyebrow, somewhat intrigued by this curious comment. He was unsure whether the man meant to insult him, flatter him, or threaten him.

Owen looked unfazed as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Loki. "If you're interested, we can meet in a more private location to discuss the details. As you have no doubt gathered, a certain level of discretion in this matter would be greatly appreciated."

Loki looked over the business card, but his gaze was drawn to his metal bracelets. He looked back at Owen critically, "How do I know you can really do something about the bracelets?"

"I work for the Xanatos family," Owen said matter-of-factly, "Do you really think Mr. Stark is the only ambitious billionaire in New York with a secret research laboratory and a keen interest in advanced weaponry and technology?"

Loki's imagination kicked into high gear. Perhaps making an ally out of Alexander Xanatos was not such a bad idea. After all, he was the young son of a powerful family who at least seemed to have more flexible morals than Stark.

"Additionally," Owen continued, meaningfully placing both hands on the counter, right hand clasping his left fist, "We have had some experience dealing with magic as well."

Loki stared in shock at the man's hands. His left fist appeared to be made of solid stone. Clearly, he wasn't lying about encountering magic.

"I see," Loki said slowly, "Where can we meet?"

"The address is on the back of my card."

Loki turned over the business card Owen had given him, confirming a hand-written address on the back. He frowned slightly at the thought that Owen had so much confidence that he would accept.

"Does tomorrow at noon work for you?" Owen continued.

Loki nodded.

"Excellent. Alexander and I will see you there," Owen stood and gave Loki brief nod farewell before moving back into the mass of people.

From his seat at the bar, Loki's eyes followed Owen as he made his way over to a red-headed teenager in an expensive-looking suit towards center of the crowd. Owen whispered something into the boy's ear, and the boy nodded.

Loki looked away and sat pensively for a moment before standing up and looking for Thor. He figured enough time had passed that he could leave the party without too much complaint.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Planning seven or eight chapters total._


	2. Negotiation

Loki knocked on the door of the apartment address that Owen had given him. Owen answered the door wearing the exact same suit and red tie combination Loki had met him in at the party and motioned for him to come inside.

In the small living area within, Alex was leaning back in an armchair with his hands behind his head and resting his feet on the coffee table and looking for all the world like he owned the place. His red hair looked like it hadn't been cut in ages and lay in disarray. A large tattoo of a stylized fox head peaked out from under the sleeve of his faded T-shirt. He regarded Loki critically for a moment before Owen cleared his throat and gave the teen a meaningful look. Sighing, the red-head stood up and made his way over to Loki offering an unenthusiastic handshake. "Alex," he stated simply.

Loki had already decided that he hated the boy and made no attempt to hide it. "Loki of Asgard."

Alex shoved his hands into his pant pockets and looked lazily at Loki, "So, was the whole horns-on-the-helmet thing your idea?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at the youth. Working with Owen was one thing, but Loki was clearly having second thoughts about doing any favors for this disrespectful child.

Sensing the rising tension, Owen stepped in and pulled Alex aside. "Alexander, wait in the kitchen and I'll talk to Loki first."

Alex rolled his eyes and sulked over to the adjoining kitchen area a few feet away. He sat down, took out his phone, and started typing away as he twirled mindlessly on a stool at the kitchen counter.

Owen glanced at Loki, "Please have a seat."

Loki was tempted to leave right then and there, but then he remembered the possibility of being free of his bracelets. Deciding he would at least hear the other man out first, he crossed his arms and responded curtly, "I'd rather stand."

"As you wish," Owen said, revealing no emotion as always.

"So," Loki said, hoping to be done with this as soon as possible, "What is it you want me to steal from Stark Tower?"

"You won't be stealing anything. We'll simply be borrowing it for a short time."

"I see," Loki said skeptically, "So, what is it? An Iron Man suit?"

A burst of laughter erupted from the direction of the kitchen. "Are you kidding me?" Alex chuckled, his eyes never leaving his cell phone screen, "My dad built one of those twenty years ago... and it looked a hell of a lot cooler too."

Loki tried to ignore the boy and kept focused on Owen, "What then?"

"A small metal artifact that Mr. Stark recently acquired for his private art collection."

"You want me to risk my freedom on some worthless trinket?" Loki hissed.

"To Mr. Stark, yes, it is indeed worthless," Owen explained, "But not to us."

Loki waited for further explanation, but Owen offered none.

"The gallery where it is currently displayed has minimal security," Owen continued, "So the process of gaining access to it should be relatively straight forward with little risk to you."

Loki nodded slowly, "And what exactly can you do about the bracelets?"

"We can deactivate them so they no longer suppress your magic or track your location. And you will be the only person aware that they are no longer functioning."

"So," Loki summarized, "You free my magic, then I steal-"

"Borrow," Owen corrected.

"Fine, 'borrow' this thing from Stark Tower for you?"

"Actually, your magic will be freed after obtaining the item."

"And how do you expect me to sneak around there alone without my magic?"

"You won't be alone," Alex chimed in from his seat in the kitchen.

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and closed it again. He glanced at Alex and the realization set in. "Oh, no," Loki stated firmly, turning towards Owen again, "I'm not going to work with that immature self-absorbed-"

"Those are the conditions," Owen stated.

"Then I will have to decline," Loki said, turning swiftly towards the door.

"I would ask you to reconsider," Owen called out.

Loki turned towards them again, clearly beginning to lose his temper, "Do you think me a fool? Do you think the petty rivalries between mortals mean anything to me?"

"This isn't about Stark and Xanatos," Owen insisted.

Exasperated, Alex slammed his phone down on the counter and turned towards Owen, "Why don't we just threaten the guy?"

Owen looked at him calmly, "Because he is a valuable ally-"

"Just because you have some kind of man-crush on him."

Owen lifted an eyebrow. "Alexander," he said in a warning tone. It was the closest thing to showing some kind of emotion that Loki had seen Owen express yet.

Loki grimaced. He didn't like being talked about as if he were not there, as if he were not any kind of threat. "My patience wears thin. You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"

Alex stood up defiantly and glared at him with all the vindictive rage of a self-righteous teenager, "As if _you_ know who _you're_ dealing with, you dumbass."

Loki grinned maliciously and slowly advanced on the boy, "Oh, I do. A spoiled brat and his baby-sitter. The insignificant scum of this realm..."

Alex smirked as he tossed his phone in the air and flicked his wrist. The phone burst into a molten mass and re-solidified as it shot towards Loki, forming large metallic hooks that caught and pinned his wrists to the wall behind him. Alex turned to Owen, looking smug, "See, I told you he'd be worthless without his magic."

Loki was momentarily paralyzed with shock. The boy could use magic. But Loki should have been able to sense the boy's powers. Were his bracelets suppressing that ability as well? Regardless, his rage got the better of him. Even without his magic, he still had the strength of an Asgardian. It would take more than a few pieces of metal to hold him. He tore himself away from the wall and headed straight for the infuriating red-headed boy, grabbing hold of him by his neck and lifting him several inches off the ground.

"Loki," said Owen, as calm as ever while Alex gasped for air and kicked wildly, "Please put the boy down." It seemed as if Owen had been in this situation many times before.

Loki chuckled humorlessly, "Or what?"

"Or you'll have to deal with me," Owen slowly removed his glasses and stored them inside his suit jacket.

Loki laughed out loud this time, "And you think a stone fist will stop me?"

Loki's attention returned to Alex and his grip tightened on the boy's neck. Alex's eyes went wide with panic, clawing ineffectually at the hand around his throat. Finally, he managed to choke out Owen's name.

In a flash, a beam of energy shot out, separating Loki from Alex and slamming him into the wall. The teen slumped down to the floor coughing and gently rubbing his neck. Loki looked up in surprise. Where Owen had once stood, now stood a short man with long white hair, large elvish ears, and a thin, crooked grin that could rival Loki's own. His clothing had completely changed as well, and it was like nothing Loki had seen mortals wear so far. It was almost fit for an Asgardian.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Alex?" said the man who had replaced Owen, keeping his eyes fixed on Loki, "Don't underestimate anyone, even if they can't use magic." He stepped between Alex and Loki, crossing his arms in the manner of an elder brother interceding between his little brother and a bully. "Now, Alex. Either apologize to the nice man before he pulverizes you or I'll put you to sleep before you do anything else monumentally stupid."

Alex glared defiantly at the white-haired man's back, then snarled at Loki. "You bas-"

"Sleep," the elvish man said quickly, and Alex dropped to the floor unconscious.

The man sighed and gave an apologetic look to Loki, "Kids these days. You'll have to forgive the boy. He's a bit impulsive. Gets that from his mother."

Loki looked carefully at the elvish man, but said nothing.

"I'm called the Puck," the man said, grinning broadly and making a theatrical bow, "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance face-to-face."

"You're not a mortal," Loki said slowly, "What realm are you from? Are you from Alfheim?"

"You're wondering if I'm from one of those _other worlds_ like you? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I was born here. Well, closer to this realm than you at least. Humans sometimes call us the Fair Folk."

Loki vaguely recalled the term from a book he had read long ago on Midgardian myths and legends. "A... fairy?" he asked, barely concealing a grin, "I didn't think you existed."

"We like to keep a low profile," Puck admitted offhandedly.

"So there are more of you living on Midgard?"

"Yes... but not at the moment," Puck answered in a measured tone.

Loki smiled. He knew that tone of voice because he'd used it himself so often. The one where the statement is true, but the meaning behind it is intentionally obscured. Puck was obviously acutely aware of their position as points of contact between two possibly equally dangerous and powerful groups of beings. The delicacy Puck afforded Loki was not something that would be offered to anyone thought to be less than an equal, and Loki found himself respecting the man for that.

"But you _are_ an immortal?" Loki continued.

"Possibly as much as you could call yourself one," Puck intoned in a sing-song fashion.

Loki's gaze grew darker, "And the boy?"

Puck arched an eyebrow and responded in a less than amused tone, "Not one to beat around the bush, are you?" He took a moment to consider his answer, "Alex is a halfling... One quarter immortal. But I would kindly ask you not to test the limits of that heritage. I know he can be a pain sometimes, but he's under my protection." Puck shot Loki a deadly serious look, "I hope we're clear on that."

Loki looked thoughtfully at the man, "So, the artifact you want? It must have some kind of magical properties?"

Puck grinned widely, seeming pleased to return to the matter at hand, "Can't get anything past you, can I?"

Loki relaxed a bit as things started to make sense, "What does it do?"

Puck laughed out loud, "As if I'd tell you!"

Loki couldn't help but smirk. An exchange of services was now looking very tempting indeed, especially now that he knew Puck actually had the magical power to uphold his end of the bargain.

"And now that you are no longer in a murderous rage," Puck stated, "I think I will revert to my more mild-mannered persona, if you don't mind." And with that, Puck's elvish form melted into Owen again.

"Wait," Loki interjected, "This still makes no sense. You don't need me. That blast you hit me with was no halfling's magic. Surely with your power-"

"Currently, I'm inconveniently limited in how I can participate in this operation."

Loki's brow furrowed.

"Of course," Owen continued, "I would not presume to deceive someone known as the Lie-Smith. So, feel free to assume that that is not my only reason, and I ask for your understanding in waiting a little longer before revealing my other motives to you."

Loki was taken slightly aback. A trickster who was being honest about his deception? It had been a long time since someone had spoken to him in such a way. With honest respect, not a hint of judgment or pity, and even genuine flattery. Loki had to admit this elvish man was growing on him. Perhaps there was something to his earlier statement about them being kindred spirits. If the society of these Fair Folk was anything like that of Asgard, then Puck had likely spent millennia seeing no one but the same beings. Loki could now understand the nervous excitement of meeting an immortal who was so completely new and different. This might just be fun after all.

Somehow sensing that Loki had made up his mind, Owen offered a handshake, "So, do we have a deal?"

Loki took Owen's hand and nodded with a sly smile, "When do we start?"


	3. Art Appreciation

"You're sure this illusion will hold?" Loki said skeptically.

"I _have_ done this before you know," Alex said irritably, although the effort of disguising himself and Loki as generic New Yorkers had seemed to exhaust him a bit. From their meeting place in a secluded alleyway behind a coffee shop, Alex glanced around the corner at the entrance to Stark Tower.

Loki was not reassured, "I'd feel better if Puck cast the spell."

"Oh, have a little faith in the boy," Puck chuckled from his seat atop a giant dumpster, "True, living transformations are not his specialty..."

Loki glared at Puck as if to tell him that he was not helping the situation.

"Oh, relax, Loki!" Puck exclaimed, jumping down from his seat to land next to them, "You two look perfect. Everything will work out just fine."

Puck turned dramatically towards Alex, "Now, Alex, behave. Remember that he can snap you like a twig, so don't give him a reason to."

Alex grumbled something vaguely affirmative.

Puck turned to Loki, "Now, Loki, behave. Remember that the deal is off if you kill the kid."

Loki nodded grimly. Puck had apparently been reading his mind.

Puck clapped happily, "Well, I'm off to take care of the cameras. I'll make sure to cover you wherever you go in the building. Good luck!" And with that Puck disappeared.

Alex and Loki looked at each other in silence for a moment. When it became apparent that neither had anything to say to the other, Alex sighed and motioned for Loki to follow him, turning the corner towards Stark Tower.

They made their way through security and headed upstairs to the gallery where the artifact would be on display. Luckily, there were very few visitors in this section of the building during the middle of the day, and the gallery itself seemed to be completely devoid of people. Loki was happy for the lack of prying eyes, but his heart sank as they approached the artifact's display case, only to find that it was empty.

"It should be here," Alex said quietly.

Loki could have screamed, but instead hissed in a whisper, "You didn't even check to make sure it would be here!"

"They must have moved it really recently," Alex said, leaning in to examine the display case.

Loki turned away, exasperated, then froze in his tracks as he caught an unexpected sight out of the corner of his eye. He could have sworn he saw a familiar man in a horned helmet and full Asgardian dress walk by the doorway of the next room of the gallery. Confused, he tapped on Alex's shoulder, unable to draw his eyes away from the now empty doorway.

Alex looked up at him, "What?"

"I think... I just saw myself in the room over there," Loki said carefully.

"Really?"

"Yes, I was wearing my Asgardian armor... I even had my helmet..."

He expected Alex to tell him he was crazy, but was surprised when Alex said, "Oh, good. Let's follow him."

Reluctantly, Loki followed Alex into the next room, only to find it empty except for a very obvious piece of red paper lying on the floor. Alex picked up the note and read it to himself:

_40.758752, -73.978712  
>Loading Dock. 10:30am. Hurry.<em>

Loki glanced at Alex questioningly, "What does it mean?"

Alex was thoughtful for a moment, then whispered, "GPS coordinates. That must be where it is."

"GPS what?" Loki hissed, "What is going on? Did Puck leave this?"

"No, I did," Alex said quickly, ignoring Loki's increasingly puzzled expression, "What time is it?" He took out his phone, "Shit. We've got ten minutes. Follow me."

Loki wanted to argue, but Alex was already headed out of the gallery, typing madly on his phone. Loki followed swiftly as Alex made his way to the nearest elevator. "We'll probably need a change of clothes," Alex mumbled as the elevator doors closed.

"Are you going to explain anytime soon?" Loki said, frustration evident in his voice.

"Shut up and let me concentrate," Alex said as he closed his eyes.

Loki sighed and hoped for the best as Alex reworked his spell so that they were now disguised as security guards instead of tourists.

Alex looked at his phone again to check their location as the elevator doors opened, "We're not too far away. Come on."

Loki was now discreetly checking every few seconds to make sure the disguise was still in place. He followed Alex cautiously, eyes darting back and forth scanning the hallways, dearly hoping that they wouldn't run into anyone who might cause trouble.

His hopes were dashed as they came across a large group of security guards. Alex and Loki made their way nonchalantly through them, but Loki grimaced at seeing more in the distance.

A man who looked like a supervisor caught sight of Alex and Loki and approached them, frowning. "What's the deal, guys? You need ground level security clearance to be down here."

Loki glanced at the I.D. tags that they were wearing and realized with displeasure that they were a different color from the other guards around them. Alex must have copied the guards he had seen near the gallery upstairs. Alex seemed to have realized his mistake too, because he tensed up, his mind apparently racing in search of some explanation.

The man was about to say something else when a loud explosion suddenly rocked the building. The echoing boom sounded in the distance behind them. Putting a hand to his earpiece, the man was suddenly shouting, "All units! Code 418 in Warehouse 3! Come on!" He motioned for the surrounding guards to follow him and ran off towards the blast.

Alex and Loki exchanged questioning glances as they pressed themselves against the wall to avoid the waves of guards now exiting the area, all heading in the direction of the explosion.

"If I remember correctly," Loki leaned in and whispered to Alex in the midst of the uproar, "That's the code for a Hulk attack... I didn't know Dr. Banner was in New York..."

Alex's brow furrowed, "Anyhow, let's take advantage of it while we can." He motioned for Loki to follow him.

Soon, the halls were completely deserted, and Loki breathed a sigh of relief as they finally approached the doors marked "Loading Dock."

As they cautiously made their way into the large garage-like storage area, Alex noticed a piece of red construction paper on a table and quickly grabbed it, folding it in half and storing it his jacket. Then he began instinctively walking towards the one delivery truck in the room which stood poised at the open garage door when he was startled by the truck's revving engine.

Loki watched as Alex automatically rushed forward, grabbing hold of one of the large handles on the back of the truck as it began to move away from the dock and frantically motioning for Loki to follow. Loki didn't have time to think as he bolted forward, jumping onto the back of the truck as it sped away from the building.

Loki scowled at Alex, "Please tell me there's a very good reason we're hanging on to the back of a moving truck."

Alex didn't respond. He was already mumbling a spell under his breath. The door to the back of the truck sprung open and they jumped inside.

Alex was suddenly grinning madly, clearly having the time of his life, "I knew this would be fun."

Loki's patience was wearing thin. He gave Alex a death glare, his voice icy and low, "You better have a good way to get us out of this, because if I get caught, I'm going to-"

"Hey, chill out," Alex laughed as he looked around at the boxes stacked in the back of the truck, "Our way out is right-" his eyes fell on a folded piece of red paper on one of the boxes, "Here." Walking over, he picked up the note and read it to himself. A smile flashed across his face, then he pocketed the note and stepped aside. "Would you like to do the honors?" he asked, motioning to the box the note had been sitting on.

Loki frowned. He most certainly would _not_ like to do the honors, but he couldn't think of any reason to refuse. He quickly opened the box, removed the packing material, and looked inside. There was a small shield-shaped object that was about the size of Loki's hand. It had the design of a golden bird silhouetted against a background of blue inlay. Loki carefully removed it from the box, "What is it?"

"May I?" Alex asked with an outstretched hand.

Loki was keenly aware of Alex's sudden politeness. It made him wary. "Tell me what it is first."

Alex looked slightly annoyed, "It's called the Phoenix Gate."

"What does it do?"

"What do you care?" Alex snarled, his temper quickly flaring, "You won't be able to use it anyhow. Now, give it to me like we agreed."

Anger flashed across Loki's face. His body tensed, moving forward slightly, ready to strike. He had half a mind to simply pick up the boy and throw him out of the truck.

The threatening movement sobered Alex quickly, and he jolted backward, putting his arms out in a defensive attempt to calm Loki. Apparently Loki's attack in the apartment was still fresh in his mind. Alex gulped and forced himself to take a deep breath, "Look, I promise everything will be explained soon. For now, please give me the Gate and we can get out of here."

_At least the boy can learn_, Loki thought, internally amused by the boy's reaction. Calming somewhat, he slowly handed Alex the artifact.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as he accepted the Phoenix Gate. "So, we're almost done, but we have to help ourselves out first. I think I know what we have to do."

"Enlighten me," Loki said, his voice still filled to the brim with annoyance.

Alex held out the Phoenix Gate, unable to keep a smile off his face as he said the incantation, "_Deslagrate muri tempi et intervalia!_"

* * *

><p>A flaming ball of energy erupted and surrounded Alex and Loki, sucking them into a vortex and spitting them out in the darkened corner of a room. As Loki regained his barrings, he saw that they were back in the adjoining room of the art gallery, the room where they had found the first note. He instinctively looked down at his body, sighing with relief to see that the spell Alex had used to disguise them was still in place.<p>

Alex grabbed Loki's arm and whispered urgently, "Here's the deal. We've gone back in time and we have to help ourselves get to the Phoenix Gate. So, first of all, that means we leave a note for ourselves with the location of the loading dock and you need to walk in front of the door to get your attention."

Loki rolled his eyes. Why did it have to be time travel?

Alex took out the blank sheet of red paper he'd picked up at the loading dock and was now scribbling a duplicate of the note they had received before. He rushed over and placed it where they had found it on the floor. Returning to Loki, he shut his eyes and began mumbling under his breath.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Loki exclaimed, looking down and seeing his disguise melting into his familiar Asgardian clothing.

"You saw _yourself_ walk by the doorway," Alex explained, "So, you have to look like yourself."

Loki's hand went up to his head and felt the horned helmet he was wearing. "Oh, no," he hissed, "I'm not wearing this here!"

"You have to," Alex insisted, "That's what got your attention, remember?"

Loki sighed in exasperation, almost embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Don't worry," Alex continued, "Puck's taking care of the security cameras. No one will know you're here. Now, go over there and get ready to walk by the door," Alex said.

As Loki walked to the other side of the doorway, he suddenly realized that he had no shoes on. He turned towards Alex again. "Seriously?" he hissed, motioning towards his bare feet.

Alex shushed him vigorously.

Loki rolled his eyes dramatically just as two people could be heard entering the adjoining room. There was some whispered conversation, then Loki heard Alex's voice from the other room say something about the Phoenix Gate having been moved. That was his cue, if he remembered correctly.

He walked swiftly by the open doorway, catching a glimpse of two generic tourists, the disguises they had used earlier, in the other room. Joining Alex on the other side, he watched as Alex quickly took out the Phoenix Gate and whispered the incantation again.

* * *

><p>The flaming vortex released them in the shadowy confines of a warehouse, surrounded by towering walls of boxes, cases, and canisters.<p>

"Okay, I think you'll like what comes next," Alex said with a knowing smile.

Loki looked doubtful.

"Here's the part where you get to be the Hulk."

"What?"

"We were able to get into the loading dock because the guards there were distracted by the Hulk... but the Hulk was you," Alex held up the note he had found in the truck, "See."

Loki silently read the note: _Let out your inner monster._

"Not the most elegant plan, I'll admit," Alex said, seeing Loki's scowl.

"That's an understatement," Loki scoffed, "You don't know what you're asking of me. If I get caught-"

"I won't let that happen."

"Forgive me if I don't have complete confidence in your abilities," Loki sneered.

"Look," Alex said, a note of seriousness in his voice that Loki hadn't heard before, "If you get caught, I get caught. And believe me, the last thing I want is for my dad to find out about this. I have way too much riding on it. There's no way in hell I'm going to fail now."

Loki was struck by the boy's earnestness. Somehow, he had assumed that this venture was some thinly veiled rivalry between two giant corporations, or at best, the fleeting whim of some young thrill-seeker. But hearing how invested Alex was personally, he had to revise his assessment.

"You have to trust me," Alex insisted, "I'll back you up."

Loki held Alex's gaze for a long moment. When Alex didn't avoid it, this seemed to satisfy Loki.

"Besides," Alex continued, "I thought you'd jump at the chance to give Stark a little grief. He's the one who made those bracelets, you know."

Loki _did_ know. Stark had had the nerve to boast about that fact as Loki was being fitted with the damn things.

"Okay," Loki agreed, "but remember that I'm not indestructible."

Alex nodded, "The moment they pull out the big guns, we're out of here."

Loki sighed in resignation, "Let's get this over with."

Alex rubbed his palms together enthusiastically and began to mumble a spell under his breath. Loki's form expanded until he embodied the huge muscular mass that was the Hulk. He looked down at himself for a moment, assessing the authenticity of the transformation, then bent over to within inches of Alex's face and unleashed a monstrous roar. Alex stumbled backwards in fright, and Loki relished the look of sheer terror on the boy's face. "The voice sounds about right," Loki muttered, smirking rather awkwardly through the Hulk's face before turning to move further into the room.

Alex clenched his fists and muttered "Jerk" under his breath before looking around for a good vantage point to keep an eye on Loki, yet be somewhat out of the way. He settled on a stack of metal cases with a clear line of sight to most corners of the room and then began casting as many defensive spells as he could on Loki.

Meanwhile, Loki was quick to find some canisters that looked volatile enough to cause an explosion and was not disappointed when he tossed them across the room and was rewarded with a deafening blast that nearly knocked him to the floor. As the first wave of guards filed into the warehouse, their bullets seemed to be deflected more easily than usual away from him. Alex must have given him some extra protection in the form of a shielding spell. He was soon glad for it as he smashed his way through the guards, feeling himself more and more out-numbered.

_Let out your inner monster, _Loki repeated in his head. It was easy enough for him to do. He had centuries of repressed rage to let out. Not to mention his frustration regarding his current parole and the man who stole his magic from him, Tony Stark.

A strong blast to his back forced him to stumble, and he turned around to see Iron Man hovering among the guards behind him. _Speak of the devil_, Loki thought, frowning.

"Now, that I have your attention," Stark said to himself before addressing the Hulk, "Bruce! Dr. Banner! You need to chill out now!"

Loki simply roared and lunged at Stark, but Stark managed to hover just out of his reach.

"Jarvis," Stark instructed as he evaded Loki, "Send out an order to evacuate the building. And get Thor over here ASAP. I'll try to keep the Hulk contained."

Loki grimaced. Although he would have loved to whack Tony Stark around a bit, he could tell that his shielding spell had been significantly weakened, and he did have to admit that the metal-suited man qualified as a "big gun." Besides, he certainly didn't want to be caught here when Thor arrived. Loki may be able to fool Stark into thinking he was fighting the Hulk, but Thor would be another matter entirely.

Turning away from Stark and dodging defensively, Loki quickly scanned the room for Alex and found him, still disguised as a security guard, being pushed back by a line of armored guards attempting to secure the exit behind them. Loki was about to make a move towards Alex when a heavy blow hit him from the side and forced him to tumble into a pile of crates that shattered under his weight. He turned to find himself face-to-face with Iron Man again.

"You're fighting me now, pal," Stark said, raising his hand for another strike, "Leave the others out of it."

_Does he ever shut up?_ Loki thought, gritting his teeth. He crouched and grabbed Iron Man's leg, swinging him into a nearby tower of metal canisters and narrowly missing the energy blast aimed at his head. In no time, Iron Man was back on his feet, and Loki had no choice but to grapple with him to keep him from using his gloves.

"Bruce!" Stark shouted again, straining to escape Loki's hold, "This is really unnecessary!"

Loki tried his best to turn curses into growls of anger as he clumsily struggled with Iron Man. The Hulk's massive body made it impossible to fight as he normally would, and he felt distinctly vulnerable without his own magic. In mounting frustration, he failed to keep a hold of the metal suit and allowed Stark to free his arm long enough to hit Loki square in the face with a blast from his glove. Loki's vision swam in and out of focus as he tried to recover from the hit.

"I'm really sorry about this, buddy, but you're leaving me no choice here," Stark said as he armed a set of small rockets and fired them straight at Loki's stomach. Loki and Stark were thrown apart by the blast, Loki crashing into a stack of metal cases. Badly burnt from the blast, Loki sluggishly struggled to get back on his feet as Iron Man rushed back into striking distance, raising his arm for another volley of rockets.

Alex shielded his eyes as a wave of heat from the second strike blasted against his face. He grimaced as Loki was thrown back into the scattered metal cases. Loki was clearly still disoriented and starting to lose consciousness, throwing punches in a vain attempt to hit Iron Man, who stood just out of reach with his hand raised preparing for yet another strike. Alex saw the tell-tale signs of the transformation spell he had placed on Loki beginning to falter and started to panic. Another hit might undo it completely.

"Damn it!" Alex shouted, reaching out towards Loki.

The loud clatter of a million tiny shards of metal resounded throughout the room. Before Iron Man could deliver another blow, his suit fell to pieces around him in a shining cascade of crimson and gold, as if every fastener and bolt in the suit had suddenly disappeared. Alex had done it without thinking and cursed himself when he realized what he'd done.

The room went silent as Tony Stark stood dumbfounded, looking utterly weak and defenseless in his T-shirt and jeans amidst the remnants of his Iron Man suit, his arm still lifted and pointing at the fallen body of the Hulk. Taking advantage of the fact that the room was frozen in shock, Alex quickly wove an invisibility spell for himself and made his way up to Loki who was now drifting out of consciousness. Alex took out the Phoenix Gate and whispered the incantation as quietly as he could. Through the veil of flames, he could make out Tony and the surrounding guards falling to the ground asleep and Iron Man's suit reassembling itself around Tony's sleeping body.


	4. Calm

Alex let out a string of expletives as he bent over Loki's unconscious body. He had let their transformation spells melt away soon after the flaming vortex released them on the floor of Owen's apartment where they had first met. Loki's body was badly burnt and bruised all over, and Alex was desperately trying to order his panicked thoughts and think of a single healing spell.

"Not your best work, Alex."

Alex jumped in surprise as Puck appeared next to him, kneeling.

"Shit," Alex exclaimed, "How long have you been there?"

Puck looked dreadfully serious, his voice sharp and cold, "The whole time, you dimwit!"

"The whole time?" Alex muttered, "Meaning you never left?"

"You really think I would leave you alone with him after he nearly killed you?"

Alex avoided Puck's gaze. "I could have handled him..." he mumbled halfheartedly.

Puck glared at him, "Is it time for a healing lesson? I think it's time for a healing lesson." Puck held out his hand to touch Loki's chest, and Loki's burns and injuries melted away, but he didn't stir.

Alex looked questioningly at Puck. Was Puck actually... angry? He couldn't be sure, since he'd never actually seen Puck angry before. Usually, no matter what kind of trouble Alex found himself in, Puck always had a bit of Owen's calm serenity. But now, Puck seemed to be glaring at him in silent rage.

"I got the Phoenix Gate," Alex blurted out, "What the hell are you so mad about?"

"Let's see," Puck said bitterly, pretending to have to think about it, "Where to start?"

Instantly offended, Alex jumped to his feet ready to defend himself.

"It was sloppy, Alex!" Puck stood up to challenge the teenager, his stance strong and confident despite the fact that he was several inches shorter than Alex, "You call that a clean getaway?! Letting at least three guards see you disappear!"

"I was disguised!" Alex fired back in protest.

"Disassembling Iron Man's suit!"

"Hey, I panicked!"

"Using the Phoenix Gate incantation right in front of Tony Stark!"

"Come on, I whispered it!"

"Not to mention, the Hulk miraculously appearing in New York!"

"Hey, that was my future self's idea!"

"It was still your idea, Alex!" Puck shouted in exasperation.

"Well," Alex struggled for some kind of retort, "If you were there, why didn't _you_ do something?!"

"Who do you think put the room to sleep when you left? Reassembled Iron Man's armor?"

Alex flushed a bit in embarrassment.

"If we're lucky," Puck continued, "They'll think it was some kind of mass hypnosis. At least, that's what the security tapes will show them. You always think too much like a human!"

"I _am_ a human!" Alex shouted.

"Believing that is what limits you! I'm not always going to be there to save your ass, your highness!"

Alex groaned in frustration and threw his hands in the air, walking away from Puck.

Puck took a deep breath, calming himself as he morphed back into Owen. He looked almost sorrowfully at Loki, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "Loki's sure to be suspected in all this."

"We have the Gate," Alex mumbled, calmer but still flustered, "We can give him a perfect alibi."

"Do you really think that will be enough to erase suspicion?" Owen questioned, "I was there, Alexander. I heard what you said... You asked him to endanger himself for you, and you promised to protect him." Owen took a labored breath, suddenly looking weary and solemn, "Be very careful about making promises without knowing whether or not you can keep them."

Alex furrowed his brow, saying nothing.

"Don't presume that because you now have the Phoenix Gate that suddenly you're a god," Owen continued, "You of all people should know that history is fixed. Even with the Gate, you can't rewrite the past, all you can do is amend it."

Alex looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it and bit his lip instead.

"Now..." Owen sighed, "It will be harder to convince him to come with us."

"We're taking him with us?"

"Of course, we are. You read the letter," Owen said, "We'll have to leave before he wakes up."

"Then, I'll get our backpacks-"

"Don't you have another note to leave for yourself before we go?" Owen questioned, looking at Alex meaningfully.

"Oh," Alex mumbled as he remembered the note he still needed to leave in the truck where he found the Phoenix Gate.

"Go on," Owen said, "I'm sure it's one thing you can do by yourself."

Alex glared at Owen before taking out the Phoenix Gate.

"No side-trips this time," Owen advised, looking away as Alex disappeared in a ball of flame.

Owen sighed and looked down at Loki, "And things were going so well..."

* * *

><p>Loki awoke gazing up at a massive sky full of stars, the sound of a fire crackling nearby. He tried to sit up, suddenly bracing himself as a wave of nausea came over him. It passed quickly though, and he looked around to see Owen sitting on the ground next to a small campfire and Alex sleeping bundled in a sleeping bag nearby. They were surrounded by a wide grassy field that faded quickly into darkness outside the circle of the campfire's light.<p>

"Where are we?" Loki asked wearily.

"Scotland, late 10th century," Owen said, remaining expressionless in the flickering firelight.

Loki's thoughts still felt muddled, but as his head began to clear, his anger surfaced. He was sick of being kept in the dark and ordered around. His eyes darted back and forth between Alex's sleeping form and Owen. Pretending like it was more effort than it was, he adjusted himself into a more comfortable sitting position and discretely slipped his hand into his jacket's inner pocket.

"I apologize for bringing you here without your consent," Owen explained, "After we have talked, I'll take you directly back if you so desire-"

Owen had barely finished speaking when Loki descended on him, pinning him to the ground with lightning speed, the blade of a knife flashing in the firelight as Loki held it against Owen's throat. Owen went perfectly still, gazing up at Loki's slightly crazed expression with a kind of vague weariness.

"Shouldn't Puck be making an appearance right about now?" Loki snarled, allowing the knife's edge to float along Owen's skin to emphasize his point.

Owen stiffened, "Be careful. I'm mortal in this form."

Loki grinned maniacally, "You make it sound as if I don't intend to kill you."

"Believe me," Owen said with some effort, "If I thought there was any chance of that happening, I would have taken that knife away from you while you were unconscious."

Loki's smile fell away, and he stared at Owen for a long moment before lifting the pressure of his hold infinitesimally.

"You're either threatening me to make Puck reveal himself or for information which I was just about to reveal voluntarily. If it's for Puck, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I can only revert to Puck to teach or protect Alexander."

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Loki said, frustration evident in his voice.

"I'm being punished, just like you," Owen said emphatically, "Only unlike you, I've been wearing the mask of a mortal for 18 years. We are tricksters by nature. Such punishments as normalcy weigh heavy on us."

Loki certainly agreed. At least in his case, being stuck on Midgard obediently playing a normal upstanding citizen _was_ starting to drive him crazy, and it had only been a few weeks.

"I was hoping we could help each other get around our punishments," Owen continued, "I assure you I have no other motive than that."

"A fine sentiment coming from your 'mortal mask'."

"If you wish to speak face-to-face, simply throw your knife at Alexander and I will be more than happy to show you how quickly Puck will make an appearance."

Loki grinned, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Loki had no sooner flung the knife towards Alex's sleeping form than Owen disappeared from his grasp, reappearing as Puck directly behind him to grab the knife from midair and return it to rest against Loki's own neck. Loki chuckled despite himself.

Puck casually stepped away and offered the handle of the knife back to Loki. "Now, settle down please," Puck said with a small smile.

"Yes, mother," Loki said mockingly, taking the knife and returning it to the inside pocket of his jacket.

Puck stretched out next to the fire as if enjoying a day at the beach. "I'm all for a good sparring match, but you really should wait until we deal with those bracelets or else it will be very one-sided."

Loki knew the reference to the bracelets was intentional. Puck had probably guessed that Loki was already considering taking the Phoenix Gate for himself and running.

"Speaking of that," Loki said, smiling, "You agreed to deactivate the bracelets once I helped you get the Gate."

"No," Puck said emphatically, "We agreed to deactivate them once we've borrowed the Gate. _Borrowed_, implying returning. That's what you agreed to, Loki."

Loki frowned, "You're seriously taking it back?"

"I said we would, didn't I?" Puck said, unable to restrain a smile, "Don't worry. I'll deal with your bracelets once the Gate is back in that truck, safe and sound."

Loki wanted to argue, but decided against it for the time being. "Fine," Loki muttered unhappily, "But you didn't mention anything about visiting the Middle Ages..."

Puck gazed up at the night sky happily, "Naturally, I couldn't risk you knowing the nature of the Gate's powers before Alex had it."

He was right, of course. If Loki had known that the Phoenix Gate was this powerful, he probably would have stolen it the moment he found it and taken his chances finding another way to get rid of the bracelets.

"So what are we doing here then?"

"Getting the Phoenix Gate was just the first step. You see, Alex is the son of a billionaire. He grew up with everything handed to him on a silver platter. True, he's spoiled rotten, but he also doesn't want his own life to be overshadowed by his father's. He wants to establish himself as his own person. Do you understand?"

Loki gazed into the crackling campfire solemnly, "Yes, I do."

Puck glanced at Loki curiously before returning his gaze to the starry sky. "Anyway, that's why Alex wanted to come here. He wants to get something to help him start his own fortune, so he won't have to rely on his father. He wants to be a self-made man."

Loki looked at Puck skeptically, "And he had to travel back in time to do that?"

Puck laughed, "Well, there's another reason we're here as well."

Loki waited quietly for Puck to continue.

Puck sighed, eyes sparkling a bit as he gazed up at the stars, "I'm going to visit my home."

Loki couldn't help but laugh, "What?"

Puck looked at Loki in displeasure, "What's so funny? It's true." Puck turned his head back to the sky and began to absentmindedly trace out constellations with his forefinger, "Part of the same punishment that binds me to Owen's form also forbids me from visiting the ancestral home of the Fair Folk, the isle of Avalon. But if I go at this point in history, it should be allowed since it will be before the decree."

Loki stared at Puck in surprise. "You've obviously given this a lot of thought."

"Yes, I have," Puck chuckled quietly, "I used to do everything I could to avoid going back to that boring old island... but it's funny what you begin to miss once you can never go back again."

A vision of his childhood in Asgard came to mind, and Loki's chest tightened. He shook his head, refusing to indulge in the memory. Even with the ability to go back in time, there was no going back to the home he had lost. He glared at Puck feeling an unexpected pang of envy.

Puck continued to gaze skyward, oblivious to Loki, "After that, we'll return the Gate to where we found it. It shouldn't take too long."

"That's what you said about getting the Gate in the first place," Loki said with a frown, "And that didn't work out very well. What if I refuse to help you?"

"Well, as I was trying to say before I was rudely interrupted," Puck looked pointedly at Loki, "We'll take you back to the present if you don't wish to join us, but..."

"But what?"

Puck rolled over on his side to face Loki, propping his head up with his arm, "I doubt you'll do that."

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"You've missed all this," Puck continued with a wide grin, "You were bored out of your mind when we first met. Playing the good little boy for the Avengers. It doesn't matter what you think of me and Alex or our reasons for being here, anything would be better than that right now. Wouldn't you agree?"

Loki gazed into the fire thoughtfully before glancing back at Puck. "Very well," he said quietly, "I'll stay with you."

Sitting up enthusiastically, Puck smirked at Loki as though he was expecting this all along. Then he morphed back into Owen, his features suddenly expressionless. "Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

Loki nodded and reluctantly lay down. He had no intention of sleeping, but thought he heard hushed words coming from the direction of Alex's sleeping bag and somehow found himself instantly falling into an unnaturally deep slumber.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Chapter 4 ended up much longer than anticipated, so I'm splitting it up into two or three chapters. Consequently, it looks like I'll end up with 7 or 8 total chapters for this story. Oh, and there may actually be a female character in the next chapter! Yay!_


	5. Storm

Loki's eyes flashed open, and he sat up quickly. The first rays of the sun were reaching over the horizon, and the fire had died out. Owen was fast asleep, and Alex's sleeping bag lay empty.

Loki looked around and frowned. Alex was nowhere in sight. This wasn't a good sign.

"Owen! Owen! Wake up!" Loki called, nudging Owen's sleeping form with his foot.

Owen woke and sat up slowly, adjusting his glasses on his face.

"Alex is gone," Loki informed him.

Owen looked over at Alex's sleeping bag and grimaced. "He left on his own. He must have put a sleep spell on us."

"That little shit."

Owen nodded, revealing no emotion as rose to his feet.

"You're not really surprised, are you?" Loki asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"I had suspected he might do something like this," Owen stared intently at Loki, "But I didn't instruct him to keep the Phoenix Gate away from you, if that's what you're thinking."

Loki frowned once again at Owen's apparent ability to read his mind.

Owen knelt down and started to pack up the sleeping bag, "He won't use the Gate, so he should be nearby. Let's look for him. At least he was kind enough to leave us with one of the supply backpacks."

Loki sighed and stood up, dusting off his clothes and looking around. "That may be a good place to start," he said pointing to a plume of dark smoke rising up on the horizon.

"Agreed," Owen confirmed, shouldering the large black backpack.

Storm clouds rolled in as they started out towards the smoke. The air grew damp and chill, and they were soon forced to hide under heavy hooded cloaks for protection from the onslaught of icy rain.

Loki drew his cloak tight around him and shouted through the roaring downpour, "Are you sure you can't do any magic? Nothing to shield us from the rain?"

"Believe me," Owen shouted back, shivering in the cold as he pulled his hood lower over his face, "If I could, I would have done so a long time ago."

If Loki had any lingering doubts about the truthfulness of the limits on Owen's magic, he was reassured in an instant. He almost felt a bit of sympathy for Owen. At least Loki didn't have to worry about the cold.

As they neared the source of the smoke, they saw the remnants of a recent battle. The muddy fields were lined with the bodies of dead warriors and broken weapons, now drenched by the rain, and looming over the battlefield was a large stone castle that now stood abandoned and partially collapsed, smoldering with the remnants of mighty blaze that must have consumed most of the interior.

Owen surveyed the scene with a frown. "On second thought, I hope Alexander didn't come this way."

The heavy rain began to let up, turning into a light drizzle as the sky brightened a bit. They trudged on towards the castle's main gate, their shoes sinking into the muddy ground with each step.

As soon as they passed under the dark arch of the gate, a piercing war cry rang out and a dark figure ran out of the shadows swinging a heavy sword and lunging at Loki. Loki easily knocked the man to the ground and turned to see more warriors quickly approaching, swords drawn and shouting menacingly. With the hint of a smile, Loki swiftly took the sword from the first man who now lay hunched over in the mud, then raced toward the warriors, tearing into them as he swung the sword with furious speed.

Loki was momentarily lost in the thrill of the battle until he realized that warriors were making their way towards Owen. He quickly drew close to Owen again, shouting, "Get behind me."

"That won't be necessary," came Owen's calm reply as he stepped aside dodging an oncoming blade and grabbing hold of the attacker's arm to swing him over his head and throw him to the ground.

Loki grinned, "So that form's not as useless as you made me believe."

"As long as I'm not up against a demigod with superhuman strength," Owen replied as he continued to evade the warrior's attacks.

Loki and Owen were holding their own against the warriors when lightening flared overhead and a familiar crash of thunder echoed through the castle walls.

Loki paused and closed his eyes as he drew his hood low to hide his face. _Of course, he would be here_, he thought.

"They're mine," boomed a mighty voice.

The group of warriors fell silent and parted as Thor slowly stepped forward, head held high and wearing his full armor and cape. He was smiling, tossing Mjolnir playfully, "You've fought well, strangers, but today you meet your end."

Loki promptly stepped in front of Owen defensively, grimacing under his hood as he raised his sword to face Thor as he approached. "What year is this exactly?" Loki whispered urgently to Owen over his shoulder.

"962, I believe," came Owen's whispered reply.

Loki flashed through his memory to recall what was going on and where he was that year. It was before the Frost Giant invasion of Earth, so this must have been one of Thor's smaller outings to raise followers among the Norsemen. Loki had rarely bothered to participate in those, so chances were good that he was currently supposed to be in Asgard at this time. His mind raced, considering his options. He had to admit that fighting Thor without his magic would not be a wise move. He might be able to successfully flee, but he doubted Owen would have the same success if Thor pursued him. That left only one choice.

As Thor was about to lift his hammer to strike, Loki rushed forward, dropping the sword he was holding. He threw his body into Thor's throwing shoulder, managing to knock Thor slightly off balance as he used both hands to grab hold of Thor's arm restraining him.

"Hold, brother!" Loki shouted.

Thor froze and looked wide-eyed at the cloaked figure who held his arm. "Loki?" Thor said with disbelief.

Loki let go of Thor's arm and slowly stepped away, forcing himself to smile at Thor as he removed his hood. Thor burst into laughter and placed a hand amicably on Loki's shoulder, "Why, brother! I thought you had decided not to join us!"

Loki resisted the urge scowl. "Well, I couldn't let you take all the glory on your little adventure! But, actually..." Loki's voice trailed off as a stern looking Sif walked into view, arms crossed over her chest.

"What are you doing here, trickster?" she said, eying him critically.

Loki cursed internally as he smiled at Sif. "Lady Sif! Listen, I have a favor to ask of you and Thor," Loki leaned in secretively to whisper to them, "Actually, I'm here without permission. Mother forbade it as punishment for the little mishap with the snakes. So we should just keep this between us."

Sif looked like she as about to argue, but Thor interrupted, thundering, "Of course, brother! Come, we should take you to our camp. But, who is this with you?"

"Oh," Loki replied, turning towards Owen, "This mortal helped me find you."

Owen stepped forward and lowered his hood, giving a brief nod of greeting to Thor.

"And what is he doing in this place?" Sif asked skeptically.

Owen looked at her calmly, "I've lost my son. Have any of you seen a red-headed boy of eighteen years carrying a pack like this one?" He pulled back his cloak to show them the black backpack he wore.

Sif furrowed her brow and shook her head.

Thor smiled, "Well, if he's helped you, Loki, he should be rewarded. Come let us go back to camp."

Loki nodded and stayed close to Owen as they joined the parade of warriors marching away from the castle towards the cliffs in the distance.

When Loki and Owen had fallen behind a bit and were out of earshot, Sif pulled Thor aside as they walked. "I'm worried about this," she said in a hushed voice, "I don't think that is really Loki."

Thor glanced back at Loki before replying to Sif, "What are you talking about? Of course, it's him. He's wearing some strange clothing, but there's nothing odd about that."

"I can't explain really," Sif answered, "But there's something different about him..." She furrowed her brow in thought, "And that mortal with him. He didn't so much as flinch when he saw you. Then Loki protected him in that fight... I've never seen Loki bother to protect a mortal before."

Thor shook his head quickly, "Surely, you're overreacting-"

Sif cut him off with a glare that said very clearly she was not backing down on this issue, "We should keep a close eye on them."

Further back in the crowd, Loki had noticed Thor and Sif's whispered conversation. "Sif's already suspicious," Loki whispered to Owen, "We should find out where Alex might be and get away as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Owen answered quietly, adjusting the weight of the backpack on his back.

They could hear the sound of the sea breaking on the cliffs as they approached a small cave hidden in the rocky shoreline. Once through the narrow entrance, the cave opened up into a vast cavern where the tents of hundreds of warriors stood standing in jagged rows.

Owen had only gotten a few steps into the cave before he grimaced and slowed to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Loki asked in a hushed voice.

"There's a powerful source of magic here," Owen said quietly, "One that I do not recognize."

"Aesir magic?"

"Perhaps."

"Why can't I feel it?" Loki whispered, frowning.

"Maybe the bracelets dampen your ability to sense magic as well as use it."

Loki gritted his teeth. Curse these stupid bracelets! He silently vowed to murder Tony Stark the first chance he got.

Owen quickly glanced over to check that Thor and Sif were preoccupied, consulting with a group of finely dressed warriors.

"Let's look for the source," Owen said, mirroring Loki's thoughts.

They snuck away, Owen leading Loki through a labyrinth of narrow paths before they reached a giant chasm in the rock. They followed a treacherous path that wound its way down into the chasm until they finally reached an ornately carved door in the stone wall.

The darkness pressed in on them as they passed through the door into a cramped corridor. Owen trembled slightly at the bite of magic in the air as they continued to walk, their footsteps echoing coldly through the hard rock. There was an eerie bluish glow up ahead as they entered a larger chamber. The room looked like it had been naturally formed, stalagmites and intricate mineral formations decorated the edges of the room, but the center of the chamber held a large structure made of massive stones, four wide pillars that supported a giant stone slab as a roof. The pillars were completely covered with thousands of tiny runes that twinkled with a soft glow, gently illuminating the chamber.

Even with his magical senses dulled, Loki could now clearly feel the hum of magic emanating from the stone structure as he moved closer to examine the pillars. "It's definitely Asgardian," he said quietly, running his fingertips gently over the glowing runes and basking in the familiar sensation of magic on his skin.

"What's its purpose?" Owen asked, examining the structure from afar, pacing near the edge of the room as if afraid to come closer.

"Well, at the very least, it's certainly a gateway to Asgard," Loki answered, gazing up in awe, "But its much too powerful to be simply that-"

His voice fell away as the sound of footsteps drew his attention to the entrance.

"Stay where you are," commanded Sif, her sword drawn as she stood in the doorway to the chamber. Thor stood next to her clutching Mjolnir anxiously.

Loki rolled his eyes in exasperation, "What is it now, Sif?"

"If you _are_ Loki," she said in a low and dangerous voice, "You'll know that we're not allowed to be in this chamber. We don't want the mortals finding it." Her eyes flashed briefly to Owen before fixing on Loki again.

"And if I _am_ Loki," Loki mimicked with a humorless grin, "You'd know that I have very little regard for where I am or am not allowed to be."

Sif's eyes narrowed while Thor shifted from one foot to another, looking somewhat wary of Loki for the first time.

Loki sighed and was about to step towards them when he heard the crackle of energy behind him. The runes on the pillars were suddenly shining brighter and brighter, bolts of electricity shooting between the stones. Loki tried to back away from the structure, but his body did not obey him. The stones kept him rooted to the ground as magic built up around him, sparks of energy shooting from the pillars and digging into his skin. He cried out in pain as the magic forced its way deep into his muscles, his bones, and finally burrowed into the depths of his mind. He could feel his willpower being stifled, his consciousness being subdued by an unwelcome presence that was invading his body. The power continued to flood into him until his body was almost at the breaking point, bright and shining at near-blinding intensity.

Then his bracelets cracked, shattering into a million white-hot shards as the magical energy from the stones was finally extinguished, leaving the room in semi-darkness once again.

The others watched in shock as Loki fell wordlessly to his hands and knees, his dark hair covering his face. Thor called out to him and took a few cautious steps forward, but froze in place as Loki looked up. His eyes looked dark and unfamiliar, still glowing faintly with the strange magic of the stones. Slowly, Loki rose to his feet, looking past Thor with his eyes fixed on the dark entrance to the chamber.

When he spoke, his voice was not his own, "...at last."


End file.
